Awakening Chronicles

Chapter 27

Svana and I quietly walked across the bridge as I opened up my menu so I could get a feel for the time dilation that would occur. Accordingly, for every day I spent down here, it would only be an hour in the control room. With that in mind, I felt a little more comfortable spending time down here. It should give me some breathing room to figure out what monsters I wanted to make for Ouradia. Hell, I could even plan out making more species if I wanted to, but that was a little down the road. I first needed to get my training underway. From reading through my menus, I saw that being an Administrator grants me an affinity for any magic that exists, which is a nice boon. However, I need to collect points to put any specific spells or even weapon arts into my class to evolve them further. My mind wandered over to my Oblivion elemental, and I felt a connection form, and a feeling of drowsiness washed over me. I guess the little guy was sleeping.

I pushed the thought to the side and read through my status menu and saw a trait that I overlooked, one that linked me to the hivemind of the Ancient Ones. I focused inwards since I was unsure of how to activate it. On the very corners of my mind, I felt whispers. They were fleeting, but they were there. I grasped onto one and immediately felt a wave of emotion. Dozens of different emotions assaulted my senses. I felt an all-encompassing hunger, and then waves of fear and pleasure. Mental images bombarded me of a distant land. I could see unimaginable waves of beasts clashing with what looked to be Orcs. They had feral grins on their face as they lunged into battle.

I could see twisted variations of their brethren rising from the lines of the Ancient Ones. The mental images faded, and another sense of emotion washed over me. This one was a feeling of pride and love. The feeling a child would get when their father noticed them. Suddenly all the whispers in my head quieted and focused on me, and I was bombarded with pride and joy. In a way, it felt reassuring, and it struck me that I have been neglecting them since their birth. I forced back through a small feeling of love and severed the link. Hopefully, that would be enough to sate them for now.

I returned my focus on the bridge and saw in the distance a shimmering haze that marked the end of the bridge. I glanced over to see Svana was lost in thought, and I kept quiet. It was moments like these that were nice. I never thought that I would get the opportunity to do all this, nor did I ever imagine that all of this was real. I walked to the edge of the bridge to look at the vast river. The water crashed against the shore in an unending torrent, and I could hear the roar of the water from where I was standing. Small amounts of plant life dotted the shoreline, and the vague outline of wildlife could be seen on the fringes of the shore. I took a deep breath through my nose and felt the cold air tickle my nose along with the familiar scent of water.

"Are you alright, Kairos?" I heard Nemesis ask me as she stood next to me and gazed out at the river as well.

"Yeah, I am fine. I'm just taking in the scenery. This is a beautiful place." I replied to her as I took a few moments to myself.

"Ouradia is a beautiful planet. I think most of that has to do with having Aphelia around. She breathes life into the planet."

I nodded my head in agreement, and my mind wandered back to Aphelia. I thought back to when we first met and how she would have killed me if she wasn't in a weakened state. I felt my heart flutter in my chest and was shocked since this was the first human emotion I felt since I became an Administrator. Maybe I was falling in love with her and didn't realize it since I was no longer human. I felt the telltale signs of a smile on my face as I thought about that. But then doubts started to cross my mind. How would a relationship even work out between us if I decided I want to pursue it?

After pondering on it for a short while, I brush the thoughts away. If it works out between us, that would be nice. Who I was needs to stay in the past. This is a new me. I finally focused back on the river and pushed myself off the steel railing. "Alright, Nemesis, let's get to the academy so we can get the ball rolling."